


My Little Supernova

by SmallTownGhost



Series: This is How We Heal [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Space Whale - Freeform, You'll see how that works out, space abyss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-18 18:09:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19339822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmallTownGhost/pseuds/SmallTownGhost
Summary: Joel Kogane was a good cook, a great firefighter, and an even better father.  Keith was an adorable eight year old with bullies who knew just where to hit to make it hurt.  Krolia is only there in hindsight, forced to watch parts of the past unfold in small flashbacks with her son.





	My Little Supernova

   Keith stared glumly out of his window and squeezed Red, his stuffed hippo.   _ Stupid Angelo, _ he thought,  _ stupid Tyler and Emma, stupid M- _ .  A knock at his door interrupted his internal rant.  

   “Hey, Kiddo,” his dad called, “I made dinner, do you wanna come eat?”

   “No,” Keith answered angrily.  He curled in on himself further.

   “Are you sure?  I made your favorite; Mac n’ cheese.”

   “Extra cheesy?” Keith mumbled, lifting his head up slightly.

   “Extra  _ extra _ cheesy.” His father smiled softly, walking over to scoop the moping eight year old from the bed.  “C’mon lil’ Nova, let’s go eat,” he said, placing a kiss on Keith’s head and walking out.

* * *

   “D’you wanna talk about what had you comin’ home in a fuss today?” Joel asked his son as he spooned the pasta into two bowls.  Keith didn’t respond, simply shrugging and staring at the floor.

   “Alright then, how ‘bout we take this outside then?” 

   Keith’s face lifted at the suggestion and he nodded eagerly before snatching his bowl and running outside to the porch.  Joel laughed at Keith’s antics and followed behind his son. Together they curled up on the cushioned porch swing and began to eat.  Keith snuggled happily into his father’s side as he ate.  _ Mac n’ cheese makes everything better _ , he thought,  _ and so does dad. _

   “Angelo was teasin’ me again today,” Keith started in a low voice.  “He asked me how come I got no mom an’ I told him what you tell me, that she had to leave but she’s gonna come back as soon as she can.  But then Angelo said that was a big fat lie, and that mom probably left ‘cause I was such a bad kid.” Keith was crying by the end of the story.

   Suddenly he was being picked up and sat on his father’s lap.  His father placed a hand under Keith’s chin to lift his face up.

   “Look at me Keith,” He said, looking directly into Keith’s eyes.  “You are  _ not _ a bad kid.  I don’t want you to  _ ever _ think that way about yourself.  You’re the best kid your ma and I could’ve asked for.  Your ma loves you. I need you to know that. She loves you so, so much.  She called you her little supernova before she left, and that’s what you are.  You’re our little supernova,” Joel finished. He wished on every star that Keith would believe him, would remember that he was loved.  

   “Then why did she leave?” Keith asked.

* * *

   Keith steadied himself on the cave  wall as the flashback ended and the vivid scene faded back into a memory.  He could see Krolia doing the same out of the corner of his and he watched her for a moment.  Her eyes were squeezed shut, and one of her hands was clamped tightly over her mouth.  _ Whatever _ , Keith thought as he turned away,  _ She’s the one who left us like that. _  He rushed out of the cave without a word.  He didn’t feel like talking about what had just been revealed.  Krolia didn’t follow him.

* * *

   Their small dinner in the cave that night was a quiet one.  Keith and Krolia were both unsure of what to do with their new situation.  The whale and the space abyss with its weird effect on time? That was nothing.  That was just survival. (Something they were both far too used to). But the silence between each other?  The seventeen years of loneliness and estrangement between them? How could they even begin to close that distance?   _ Could _ it even be closed? Things might never be perfect between them, but Krolia was willing to work toward whatever kind of relationship Keith was comfortable with.  

   “Your father often made that dish for me.  He claimed it could cure any bad mood,” she said, keeping her eyes on the fire.  “He was a good cook, and he was good at picking up on how people felt. He always knew when I was feeling homesick and would make the mac and cheese without a word.  He’s a good man,” she finished. She snuck a glance up at her son. Keith’s eyes were shiny. 

   “Yeah,” was Keith’s only response as he awkwardly pushed around the food on his plate.   

**Author's Note:**

> My very first fic on this account! I have another with over 40 works, but this is one dedicated to pieces that I'm comfortable with my sisters knowing exist, lol. I'm looking forward to working on this series, and doing a few crossover works with my sister who also has an account in here. Kudos and comments much appreciated! Also, if there are any scenes you'd like to see explored that happen in the two years that Keith and Krolia are on the whale together simply leave a comment or DM me!  
> And yes, we named Keith's dad after Joel from The Last of Us. Hush.


End file.
